This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing electrical harness assemblies and harness subassemblies of the type comprising, for example, one or two electrical connectors and wires extending from, and connected to, the terminals in the connector or connectors. The herein disclosed apparatus embodiment of the invention is capable of producing either of the types of harness assemblies described above, however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the harness making arts that the principles of the invention can be used in a wide variety of harness manufacturing operations to manufacture harnesses which are significantly more complex than those disclosed herein.
A commonly used type of multi-contact electrical connector comprises an insulating housing having a plurality of contact terminals therein, each terminal having a wire receiving portion which is adapted to receive, and establish electrical contact with, an electrical conductor upon movement of the conductor laterally of its axis and into the conductor receiving portion. Connectors of this type are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,335 and in FIG. 1 of application Ser. No. 657,138 filed Feb. 11, 1976, the former type of connector being widely used in the communications industry and the later type being used in the appliance and television industries. A wide variety of types of apparatus have been developed for inserting wires into these type of connecting devices, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,935, 3,766,622, and the above identified application Ser. No. 657,138.
The instant invention is directed to the achievement of methods and apparatus for producing electrical harnesses and harness subassemblies, the harnesses including connectors of the general type described above. The invention is specifically directed to the achievement of an apparatus which can be operated at high production rates and which is capable of producing, with minor adjustments or changes, a variety of types of harness assemblies and subassemblies. For example, a harness assembly comprising two connectors and a plurality of wires connected to the terminals in the connectors and extending between the connectors can be manufactured by a fully automatic machine constructed in accordance with the principle of the invention. The wires may all be of the same length or the lengths may be graduated from one end of each connector to the other end if the assembly is to be used under circumstances where the wires will be in side by side parallel relationship and follow a curved path. The principles of the invention can be also employed to produce a subassembly comprising a single multi-contact connector having wires connected to, and extending from, the terminals therein. The wires may be of different predetermined lengths, if desired, and the ends of the wires can be stripped of their insulation if required.
A preferred apparatus embodiment of the invention comprises a wire feeding means for feeding a plurality of wires in side-by-side parallel relationship through, and beyond, a wire insertion zone. The wire feeding means is programmable and has a separate pressure roll for each wire, an arrangement which permits varying predetermined length of the individual wires to be fed during each operating cycle. The connectors are fed into the insertion zone and positioned in side-by-side relationship in spaced relationship to the wires with the wire receiving portions of the terminals in alignment with the previously fed wires. The apparatus has means for cutting the wires in a plane which extends between the two connectors and moving the cut ends away from each other so that the ends of the wires are in precise alignment with the wire receiving portions of the terminals. Insertion of the wires into the wire receiving portions is accompanied by moving the connectors towards the wires and, at the same time, moving insertion tool members towards the wires and towards the connectors so that the wires move relatively into the wire receiving portions of the connectors although the wires themselves do not move in an absolute sense.
A connector is thus applied to the trailing ends of the cut wires and to the leading ends of the wires extending from the feed means during each cycle. During the next succeeding cycle the operation is repeated and a harness assembly comprising two connectors and wires extending between the connectors is produced. A subassembly comprising only a single connector having wires extending from its terminals can be manufactured by simply deactivating one of the connector feed mechanisms.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for the manufacture of electrical harness assemblies and subassemblies. A further object is to provide a method apparatus which can be used to produce a variety of types of harness assemblies and subassemblies. A still further object is to provide a method and apparatus which can be used in the manufacture of relatively complex electrical harnesses having a variety of types of connectors therein and having conductors of varying lengths and types extending selectively between the terminals in the connectors. A further object is to provide a method and apparatus capable of producing harness assemblies and subassemblies at a high rate of production.